This invention relates generally to the field of inventories, and in particular to the replenishment of depleted inventories. More specifically, the invention relates to methods and systems for consolidating items into purchase orders based on specified criteria. The invention also relates to techniques for compiling information about purchase orders to enable analysis of purchasing practices.
Many organizations handle purchasing on a departmental level, using separate purchase orders for individual items or small groups of items. However, when purchasing is handled at the departmental level using separate purchase orders, a large organization may fail to realize efficiencies available when purchasing in an organized manner.
For example, in the hospital environment, several departments may generate multiple requests for bandages, all from the same vendor on the same day. Since vendors often ship each order separately, such ordering practices may result in the hospital receiving several shipments from the same vendor, each having its own shipping charge.
Another issue confronting geographically diverse organizations is that some have had difficulty tracking and analyzing their purchasing practices. For example, each site may maintain its own ordering system. As such, an organization-wide purchasing analysis may be difficult to produce.
Hence, this invention relates to systems and techniques for improving purchasing practices.